Environmental

Today’s work environments must assure the implementation of safe and secure operations and work practices that protect the health and safety of the workforce, the public, and the environment. The starting point for the GEM environment, health and safety program has always been a corporate goal that every employee is to return home in the same condition that brought them to the workplace and that our environment and the public has benefited from their work. We have always had a vision of zero accidents and rather than just reacting to incidents and correcting contributing factors, our approach has been to proactively prevent accidents and environmental problems from occurring.

GEM provides exceptional support establishing, assessing, and maintaining the proper facility and operational safety authorization basis, and the maintenance of effective Integrated Safety Management Systems at most of the DOE/NNSA facilities. Our environmental engineering staff and site remediation programs have assured compliance with all regulations and provides the basis for effective clean up of contaminated facilities/sites and the return of work areas to their original environmental state.

GEM recognizes the protection of the health and safety of our customer(s) workforce, the public, and the environment as paramount and our first order of business. GEM has a diversified staff of highly trained safety and health staff and environmental engineers with years of first-hand experience in the development, assessment, and implementation of Federal, State, and local health and safety compliance, regulatory, and performance requirements.

GEM is highly experienced in the conduct of operations and the conduct of all elements of Integrated Safety Management Systems (ISMS). Our staff conducts the analysis to support the Safety Authorization Basis (SAR, FSAR, TSR) for most of the Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration facilities. Finally, we are fully experienced in the self-assessment of all health and safety requirements and can assure our customers guaranteed work products.

Meeting regulatory compliance amongst federal, state, and local requirements can be a moving target. GEM offers environmental planning, other regulatory compliance and permitting services to ensure all the requirements are fulfilled. Included in our services are NEPA compliance, Emergency Planning and Community right-to-know Act (EPCRA) compliance, multi-media compliance support services, regulatory tracking, regulatory agency negotiation and liaison services, and public participation and outreach programs.

GEM has provided the structural and civil design efforts for the siting of facilities and associated support elements for the National Space and Aeronautics Administration. This has included development of programmatic documentation for the existing infrastructure, planned acquisition efforts, and emergency operations.
Protective force response against the theft of special nuclear material and weapons, creation of improvised nuclear devices, potential malevolent acts associated with the disruption of mission critical facilities/assets, and sabotage that could affect the health and safety of the public, work force, and environment

The releases of contaminants into the soil, surface water, groundwater, and air can occur from a wide variety of activities over specific and unknown periods of time. They can affect one or many media and receptors. GEM has provided high quality characterization services to the government and industry for over 13 years. These characterizations include: limited site inspections, comprehensive site inspections, hazardous waste sampling, comprehensive compliance audits, environmental impairment liability audits, Phase I and Phase II property transfer assessments (including pre-construction assessments), OSHA compliance audits, and due diligence audits. GEM staff has significant experience in subsurface and surface/facility characterizations.

Risks associated with a contaminant release can range from minimal human health risks and environmental impacts to an on-going source of exposure to a community. The ultimate goal of any site characterization is the accurate description (quantitative and qualitative) of the contaminants of concern released at a site and their impact to it. The characterization provides the basis for sound environmental decisions. The scope of the characterization varies based on site conditions, knowledge of release occurrences, required level of effort, and costs. To maximize the return of the characterization process, innovative, streamlined, and cost effective approaches are developed. GEM uses a multi-disciplinary team of professionals to develop the optimum approach and to perform the optimum characterization activities.

GEM highly trained technical and field staff is capable of a full array of field sampling and analytical tasks. All field personnel are trained per the OSHA 1910.120-40 hour requirement and receive the annual 8-hour refresher training. Our staff is also trained and experienced in conducting work in Level B personal protection. All site personnel are also under a current medical monitoring program. GEM also maintains an extensive Standard Operating Procedures document related to field sampling and field quality control procedures.

We have the technical expertise and resources to prepare and implement every aspect of any required material, soil, or groundwater investigation. Our qualified engineers, scientists, and geologists can provide technical leadership and support in the following areas:

The GEM approach to hazardous materials management incorporates elements of both engineering and business management. This combination is seldom found in the typical approach to addressing environmental issues. Our collective knowledge of applicable regulations, available and emerging technologies, and cost-awareness provides our clients with project-specific, cost-effective hazardous waste management programs. The basis of our approach is to reduce the costs of operating a facility through the use of material substitution, process modifications, waste treatment, and innovative approaches to facility operations and maintenance. Our approach results in the reduced generation and disposal of hazardous wastes. It also reduces the potential liability of the facility and the likelihood of operations being curtailed by hazardous waste disposal problems.

When media sampling is required, chemical analyses of the samples provide the concentrations of the individual compounds present. Evaluation of the chemical data, combined with site-specific knowledge of the facility can identify the sources(s) and contaminants of concern. The successful site investigation, and ultimately risk reduction, is largely dependent upon a well-planned and executed site-sampling program. Multi-media sample collection and analysis provides the basis for sound environmental decisions. GEM’s monitoring programs are designed with the projects specific goals and requirements to obtain accurate, timely results in a helpful and flexible format. Our experience spans design and execution of sampling programs for hazardous waste, surface water, illicit discharges, groundwater, ambient air, indoor air, soils, sediments, sludge, facility maintenance activities, industrial process streams, and biota.

GEM provides expert monitoring services for all environmental media. Once analytical results are obtained, GEM provides data validation and interpretation services to help the client make informed decisions on further courses of action. Other key elements of our investigation and sample and analysis program include:

Customized sampling and analysis programs using current technologies and innovative techniques to achieve specific project goals.

Multi-disciplinary monitoring using state-of-the-art-sampling techniques and State and federally accepted protocols for sample collection, sample handling, and documentation to ensure sample integrity while placing special emphasis on health and safety and quality assurance.